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A new analysis of national data commissioned by the health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) finds that 3 in 5 of all households containing smokers living in poverty live in the North and Midlands while fewer than 1 in 5 are in London and the South East.
The research was undertaken using national government data on households. Nationally, one in five (21%) of smoking households in the UK were living below the poverty line, amounting to a million households. However, when tobacco expenditure was included in the poverty assessment, this increased to nearly a third (32%) – equivalent to 1.5 million households.
Findings reveal smokers in the North and Midlands were more likely to be in poverty than those in London and the South East. The North and Midlands had 730,000 smoking households living in poverty, compared to 215,000 in London and the South East.
Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive of ASH, said: “Smokers are more likely to be below the poverty line wherever they live, but for those in parts of the country where incomes are lower, smoking has a much bigger impact. This disparity must be taken into account by Government in the development of future strategies to improve public health and level up society. Securing the government’s vision of a smoke free England by 2030 will have a profound impact on the wealth and wellbeing of poorer families and reinforce broader economic strategies to build back better after COVID-19.”
Source: Psychreg, 23 July 2021
See also: ASH Press release: Smoking-related poverty concentrated in the North and Midlands
Local Gov: North and Midlands see greatest levels of smoking-related poverty
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Only six integrated care systems (ICS) will have their boundaries changed, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.
A statement by health minister Edward Argar yesterday (22 July 2021) confirmed the boundaries of Suffolk and North East Essex ICS and Mid and South Essex ICS would be unchanged, and Frimley ICS would be allowed to continue rather than being scrapped. These had been expected to change under a policy pushed by Mr Hancock to match upper-tier local council areas.
However, several changes to current boundaries to match local authorities will go ahead:
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The Bassetlaw area will move from South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS into Nottinghamshire and Nottingham ICS.
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Glossop will move from Greater Manchester ICS to Derbyshire ICS, despite being part of the GM conurbation; and
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West Birmingham will move from the Black Country and West Birmingham ICS into Birmingham and Solihull ICS.
The statement also revealed that the new health secretary Sajid Javid will formally review the boundaries of Cheshire and Merseyside ICS and that ICSs covering Cumbria and North Yorkshire will also remain under review because, following a local government reorganisation, they will not be coterminous. However, these reviews will take place in two years, during 2023, after ICSs become fully operational.
NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson described the minister’s decision as a “change of heart” but warned there remained a “risk to patient care” in those ICSs which must change. He said the boundary switch must be “co-designed and co-controlled by the trusts affected so they can do all they can to preserve the gains in integrated care that have been made over the last few years and minimise disruption to services”. He added: “We are disappointed with the decision to move boundaries in Bassetlaw and Glossop given the views of NHS trusts in these areas.”
Lou Patten, NHS Confederation ICS network lead and also director of NHS Clinical Commissioners, said: “We need to ensure that those affected systems are supported to make these changes and develop their new partnerships in time for their statutory responsibilities in April 2022, which all comes at a time of immense operational pressure.”
It is not yet clear when ICSs will be expected to change their boundaries or how this process will be managed and implemented.
Source: HSJ, 22 July 2021
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Ministers are forcing the NHS to cover part of the cost of its 3% staff pay rise in a move which health service chiefs say could lead to cuts inpatient care. The NHS in England will have to find about £500 million to help fund the 3% increase that the health secretary, Sajid Javid, announced on Wednesday (21 July), despite already struggling to meet the extra costs of the coronavirus pandemic, including the care backlog, and treatment for the soaring numbers of people with “long Covid.”
Ministers are also facing mounting anger from the medical profession after it emerged that tens of thousands of doctors have been excluded from the 3% deal, despite the government’s advisers on NHS pay specifically recommending that they also be rewarded for helping to tackle COVID-19.
Traditionally, the Treasury meets the total cost of annual pay rises for NHS personnel. However, Boris Johnson has decided that the service will have to help shoulder at least part of the bill for the 3% uplift, payable to more than a million staff for 2021-22 and backdated to April.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of the hospital group NHS Providers, also urged ministers to cover the entire cost of the 3% award. He said: “It’s important that this pay rise is fully funded without an impact on NHS patient care. It’s not clear at this point how that will happen given that, due to COVID-19, the NHS still doesn’t have its budget for the second half of the year. Until those conversations are complete, it’s impossible to know what the impact on NHS budgets will be.”
Anita Charlesworth, director of research at the Health Foundation, said that the NHS budget was already under severe pressure because of the extra demands COVID-19 had thrown up. “The health service can’t spend the same money twice. Reducing the waiting times backlog will require substantial funding, and the NHS needs to support people with long Covid and mental health problems related to the pandemic.”
Source: The Guardian, 22 July 2021
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The government has agreed to a six-month delay for the implementation of its controversial HFSS promotions ban. The move, confirmed on Wednesday (21 July 2021), was welcomed by industry bosses who have claimed the timeline for the changes, including sweeping bans on price promotions and those in prime locations, would cause huge disruption in stores still coming to terms with the end of lockdown. Supermarkets and suppliers had argued the required change to aisles, storefronts, and checkouts would take much longer, describing the timeframe as “impossible”.
Barbara Crowther, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, said she was “disappointed” at the delay but pleased that the government was still pressing ahead with the plans despite what she called “a huge industry lobbying attempt to bury it.” We’ve been campaigning to get junk food out of checkouts for over 25 years and let’s be in no doubt, this is a good day for public health.
“We’re pleased the government has taken the next step to lay the new regulations on price and location promotions in Parliament, which marks a major milestone in our journey towards a healthier food environment. We’re disappointed that implementation will now be delayed another six months to October 2022, especially given the consultation took place over two years ago and time is running out to halve childhood obesity levels by 2030. We hope the food industry and retailers will use this extra time responsibly to ensure they are already compliant with new regulations well ahead of the new deadline.”
Source: The Grocer, 21 July 2021
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District of Columbia (DC) is officially outlawing the sale of flavoured tobacco products and menthol cigarettes across the city. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a statement after signing the bill, which the DC Council passed last month.
The bill prohibits the sale and distribution of tobacco products with a “distinguishable taste or aroma other than tobacco, including fruit, chocolate, vanilla, candy, dessert, alcoholic beverage, menthol, mint or wintergreen.” It also prohibits the sale and distribution of electronic smoking devices within a quarter mile of a middle school or high school. There’s an exemption for some hookah bars.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that the ban is one step toward building a “healthier and more equitable DC,” especially for Black residents.
“Reducing the use of tobacco is a health equity issue. We know that Black residents are disproportionately affected by tobacco use, and [flavoured] tobacco, including menthol, continues to have a particularly insidious effect on our community. Today, we take a hugely impactful step to reducing tobacco initiation and addiction in Washington, DC.”
Source: NBC Washington, 22 July 2021
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This fact sheet examines evolving youth use of e-cigarettes in Great Britain in the context of changes in the regulation of e-cigarettes and tobacco use among adults and children.
Key findings reveal:
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The vast majority of 11-17 year olds have never tried (77.7%) or are unaware of e-cigarettes (10.5%).
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In 2021 11.2% of 11-17 year olds had tried vaping, compared to 13.9% in 2020. This is largely unchanged from 2015 when 11.6% of 11-17 year olds had tried e-cigarettes.
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Young people aged 11-18 years old vape mainly to give it a try (49.3%), not because they think it looks cool (1.2%). They are unlikely to choose e-cigarettes because they are easier to access (1.1%) or cheaper (0.8%) than tobacco cigarettes.
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The perception among 11-18 year olds that cigarettes and e-cigarettes are equally harmful has been increasing since 2013. Only 43.8% of 11-18 year olds in 2021 believed that e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes.
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The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in collaboration with Public Health England (PHE) has published new draft guidance for consultation on preventing the uptake of smoking, promoting quitting and treating dependence. This draft guidance consolidates and updates eight previous guidelines on tobacco (PH5, PH14, PH23, PH26, PH39, PH45, PH48, NG92).
The consultation closes on 6th August 2021, and the final guidance is due for publication on 30th November 2021.
The consultation is available here.
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The APPG on Smoking and Health has published a new report setting out the action needed to secure a smokefree country by 2030. ASH is calling on organisations and individuals to endorse the report to show the Government how much support there is for an ambitious Tobacco Control Plan to deliver a smokefree 2030.
Those who have already endorsed include leading organisations such as the AoMRC, ADPH, Asthma UK, BHF, BLF, CRUK, FPH, the Health Foundation, the RCP and the RSPH.
Read the report: https://bit.ly/3iHqCUO
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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